RESURRECTION MAN #0

STORY: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
ART: Ramon Bachs and Jesus Saiz

Mitch Shelley is a huge ass. At least, the real Mitch Shelley. Not the Mitch Shelley we've been following over the past 13 months. Last month, it was revealed that the main character of Resurrection Man was actually a clone of the true Mitch Shelley, who it turns out is the evil mastermind behind the entire series' worth of criminal activities. It was an eloquent - if not slightly sadistic - way to technically end the series. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning were given this chance to explain things a bit more with Resurrection Man #0, and thus the issue gives readers a more comprehensive historical account of the real Mitch Shelley, as well as the events that led to the creation of "Resurrection Man" Mitch Shelley. The biggest shortcoming of this "Zero Issue" is that Abnett and Lanning seemed to have planned for Resurrection Man to continue, as foreshadowing and set-ups for future plot lines are littered throughout these pages.

For the same reason I've had a love/hate relationship with this series for the past few months, Resurrection Man #0 ups the ante by continuing to be one of the best titles from DC's 'New 52' even though this is the very seriously final issue. I tried to not get too attached to this series, as I knew the adventures of Mitch Shelley would soon be coming to an end. It didn't work, and just like the frustration of watching Firefly after it had been cancelled, I found myself upset that a series this good was so underrated. Honestly, I was holding out for a last-minute renewal, similar to Community's miraculous fourth season (SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE!).

The plot of Resurrection Man #0 would seem straightforward enough. Fortunately, Abnett and Lanning don't take the easy way out, instead opting to make this origin story as wacky and sci-fi as possible. The first thing we're made to understand is that Resurrecting Mitch's memories were actually Proto-Mitch's memories. This means that it was the jerk-wad Mitch who was in the Middle East with Deathstroke and Hooker five years prior. This also accounts for all the other horrible flashbacks Living-and-Dying Mitch would have about his "past". At some point in Iraq, O.G. Mitch is badly wounded then attacked by some fish monster thing and injected with the tektite solution - a self-healing agent -  which becomes the catalyst that starts the proverbial ball rolling. To save the rest of his horribly wounded team, Mitch Sr. orders the tektite solution used to treat all of them. This is how Director Hooker receives his powers, as well as the Body Doubles.

In the hoopla of the explosions that cause all the harm, the Original Mitch Shelley loses his arm. Even with the tektites flowing through him, the reattachment is unsuccessful. Shelley orders his dead arm incinerated to keep the tektite solution out of enemy hands. But as Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park, "Life finds a way." The tektites survive the incineration and escape through the smoke into nature where they instinctually sap all surrounding matter to 'resurrect' Mitch Shelley from the blueprint of his DNA grafted onto them. It's a bit complex, a bit high-concept, and is just plain cool. The tektites simply reconstitute Neu-Mitch whenever he dies in the same fashion, giving him a new power each time in the process.

Resurrection Man #0 also looks toward the (now nonexistent) future of the series. Who is the fishy-man who injects the first Mitch with tektites originally? How does Deathstroke's involvement with Mitch Shelley connect with his time with Team 7? How will Mitch make amends for the terrible crimes of his source material? Where does Kim Rebecki fit into all of this? And why is the Devil being set up to become a major character? Alas, it's highly unlikely any of these questions will ever be answered, unless Mitch joins the Justice League Dark or something. (Hint, hint, DC.)

GRADE

A

SERIES GRADE:

A+

RESURRECTION MAN #12

STORY: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
ART: Javier Pina

The entirety of Resurrection Man has been a mystery. From the beginning, Mitch Shelley has struggled to figure out who he is and how he came to have the incredible powers he possesses. In it's 12 issues, this series has taken us all over the United States, introduced an exceptional supporting cast, and showcased a host of awesome powers at Shelley's disposal after his disposals. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning created this character 15 years ago, and Shelley's 'New 52' reboot put him into a world that isn't ready for superheroes, turning him into more of an outcast than his previous incarnation. Unfortunately, sales numbers didn't lean in it's favor, and Resurrection Man #12 stands as the final (chronological) issue of the series. It's also the best one yet.

In many ways, Resurrection Man is a type of narrative that actually can end after a relatively small number of issues. Even though,the premise of Shelley's situation is one that could be mined for years if done effectively (looking at you, Wolverine), should it? After a while, the series would be in danger of falling into a simple and uninteresting 'power of the week' format that focused on what cool new moved Shelley had instead of quality storytelling. Just look at NBC's Heroes, a show that started off so strong, so promising, only to end up wallowing in a convoluted train wreck involving a superpower-centric carnival. I'd hate to see Mitch Shelley teaming up with Flash or Green Lantern, to be honest. I'd like to quickly clarify that I'd read any and all issues of this series if it had been allowed to continue. I love the character, the premise, and the cast. In Abnett and Lanning's hands, Mitch Shelley's adventures would have been awesome going forward. But that's not the case, and the Shelley's creators send him out with a bang and a big cliffhanger that we'll get the inside scoop on in Resurrection Man #0.

At the mercy of Director Hooker, Shelley is sent through stress tests with virtual reality simulations so Hooker's scientists can research the deaths and resurrections to find a way to replicate the ability in others. While this may seem cliched, it's actually quite graceful in it's execution. Hooker takes a moment to give readers an abridged explanation of tektites, a form of nanotechnology that unlocks different abilities in different people. For Hooker, it's immortality; for the Body Doubles, it's strength and regeneration. And for Mitch Shelley, it's coming back to life with a new superpower each time he dies. From Hooker's own mouth, "Mitch Shelley is the Holy Grail."

I'm not going to give a lot away about the plot of this issue, as it's the last and the surprises throughout the issue are awesome enough that they warrant secrecy. Suffice it to say, a lot of bombs are dropped. As I suspected, Abnett and Lanning really do pull out all the stops for this issue, bringing resolutions to a lot of loose ends while simultaneously raising a whole bunch of new questions that will hopefully be adressed in Issue Zero. A lot of what felt like filler throughout Resurrection Man's run now seems a bit more important now that we've reached an end. And really, the last page cliffhanger makes the entire issue and series worth the read.

GRADE

A

RESURRECTION MAN #11

STORY: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
ART: Jesus Saiz and Javier Pina

If you keep up with "The Endless Reel", you know how much I adore Resurrection Man. In a universe full of interconnecting narratives and convoluted history, Mitch Shelley's adventures represent what comics used to be - a rip-roaring good time full of superpowers, good vs. evil, and a damn fine mystery to solve. That being said, the past couple of issues have floundered somewhat, unable to make any significant progress in uncovering Shelley's mysterious past at all. Of course, Shelley's rotating power set is also a draw to the book, but he's had the same shadow powers for those same few issues, so it's starting to get a bit stale. Resurrection Man #11 comes back around and brings some resolution to at least a one ongoing plotline dealing with the Transhuman, an old villain looking to help Shelley figure out his past.


It's nice to see a character experiencing a relatable form of amnesia; it seems Mitch's memory loss came from more normal circumstances. He begins to remember more about his former life the more he experiences in familiar territory. Too often, amnesia in comic books is caused by magic or super powers, meaning the solution to reversing the memory loss comes from said magic or super powers. In Shelley's case, it may have just been a bump on the head.


Kim Rebecki has been an ally to Shelley for some time, using her empathic powers to understand how things and people work simply through touch. This month, her power reveals a giant skyscraper hidden in plain sight at the Soder Cola factory in Viceroy, South Carolina - Mitch's hometown. With cloaking technology in place, the skyscraper appears invisible to the citizens of Viceroy, allowing the organization that turned Mitch into the Resurrection Man to operate in secret while using the Soder factory as a cover.


A large portion of the issue is devoted to Mitch and Kim fending off an attack by Director Hooker, the man responsible for Mitch's arrest warrant. After locating the Transhuman, Mitch and Kim attempt to free the old man before he reveals his betrayal - his is a super villain, after all. Honestly, it's a bit of a let down, as much of Resurrection Man's run has been dedicated to Mitch and Kim tracking down the Transhuman, someone they believed to be a friend. Of course, it's not out of the ordinary for Mitch to have such bad luck. Mitch is killed this issue, bringing an end to the 'shadow master' powers and introducing his 'eye laser' ability - similar to that of Cyclops' optic blasts, but more lightning-esque and less controlled.


What started out as one of my favorite series in DC's 'New 52' has quickly become stale, possibly a reason for it's cancellation. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have fantastic storytelling ability, but it feels like they don't know what to do with Mitch Shelley. There seemed to be a focus for the first six issues, but recent months have yielded a lot of fighting without much substance. And while nothing's wrong with a fight sequences every once in a while to break up the narrative, using confrontations as a means of plot advancement doesn't work if they don't advance anything!

GRADE

C

(COMIC) 4-SENTENCE REVIEWS #4!

Resurrection Man #10
(Abnett, Lanning, Saiz)

I've been a extremely avid fan of Resurrection Man since last September, mostly based on the fact that Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning were less concerned with creating some amazingly big story arc and more focused on just writing interesting stories. I was pretty upset when DC announced that the series would end after it's 'Issue Zero' this coming September, but after reading Resurrection Man #10, I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't all that bad of a call. This month, Mitch Shelley and Kim Rebecki are still on the hunt to uncover Mitch's mysterious past, but instead of advancing the story at all, Abnett and Lanning bring back the 'avenging angels' that came after Mitch way back in issue four or five, a move that shows that maybe these writers really don't have a solid future in plan for the man who can't die. It's far more likely that Mitch Shelley's story will have a super-satisfying conclusion come next month, but we'll just have to wait and see.

GRADE: B

Before Watchmen: Minutemen #1 of 6

(Darwyn Cooke)

Minutemen is supposed to be a look back at the original superhero team that set the (arguably) 'golden standard' for what the Watchmen eventually aspire to attain: the original idea of truth, justice, and the American way. And while we know the Minutemen had their own set of problems, they also operated in a simpler time when origin stories didn't involve intergalactic sentries or mystical interventions, but instead came from ordinary people looking to make their world a little bit better. In this first of six issues, Darwyn Cooke spends a lot of time going over the origins of each member of the Minutemen, and while this could come off as cheesy and overbearing, Cooke masterfully makes each introduction feel like you're meeting these characters for the first time. It's a phenomenal first issue and even better beginning to the Before Watchmen event.

GRADE: A

Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre #1 of 4
(Cooke, Conner)

In the first title dedicated to a member of the Watchmen (the first in the Before Watchmen series focused on the Minutemen, which features the Comedian, but none of the other Watchmen proper), and it's pretty damn good. Laurie Juspeczyk has grown up in the shadow of her mother, both in terms of training and studying to carry on the Silk Spectre name, as well as her infamous streak of compromising work after her days as a superhero ended. Laurie's tale starts as a romantic story with chisel-jawed Greg, a boy who knows about her mother's racy past and doesn't care - all he wants is to be with Laurie, and the two of them decide to run away from home and hitchhike to wherever. Darwyn Cooke has set up a very mid-60s story, complete with adolescent angst, social hierarchy, and a pinch of hippies to keep us interested for the next issue.

GRADE: B

(COMIC) RESURRECTION MAN #8

STORY: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

ART:

Last month, I wrote about how Resurrection Man continued to be one of my favorite offerings from DC's 'New 52' because it wasn't yet focused on a grander story or epic to move it's events forward; Mitch Shelley's abilities alone are enough to keep the story moving. Of course, pieces of the greater plot concerning Shelley's have been slowly coming together throughout the first seven issues of the series - he had a dream about working as a weapons engineer in Iraq and he keeps running into other people who seem to know the history of Mitch Shelley.

Resurrection Man #8 begins the process of tying together some of the loose ends in Shelley's life with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning introduces two new characters. The first is Kim Rebecki, a private eye from South Carolina with the power of psychometry (psychic response through touch); and the second is a batshit crazy necromancer called The Butcher. And that, dear readers, is what comic books are about! By thrusting the real with the surreal, Abnett and Lanning have created a fantastic narrative without really even telling us what's going on! Both have been hired by the same client to hunt down and bring in Mitch Shelley.

By the end of the issue, more questions have been raised than answered, but the road toward enlightenment also becomes a little clearer. Since taking lives powers his magic, the Butcher seems to implode after Shelley "takes back" his own life, leaving the necromancer only his own life force with which to cast a spell. Rebecki, on the other hand, stands down after she touches our anti-hero and sees that he's not the monster her client made him out to be. With his life's history rushing through her head, Shelley gains a partner. Before they even begin their journey, however, the Suicide Squad shows up and Deadshot puts a bullet in Shelley's temple.

Next month, I'll be covering Suicide Squad #9 to see what happens between the team and the Resurrection Man.

GRADE:

A